Opinion
Column

Stupid is as stupid does

I got into a little debate online the other day about something, I forget just what. I thought I was doing a decent job defending my position, citing some fairly reputable data sources from quality researchers.

I thought I might have convinced my critic with my information as it was some time before he returned any comments defending his position.

He was unable to come up with anything that might have looked legitimate to support his argument, so he just resorted to repeating his position and that I was just a “stupid farmer” and my opinion was also stupid.

He must have had some fairly good computer skills — at no point in our exchange did I mention my vocation.

He obviously sleuthed out my social media pages and saw some of the information I posted there and some of the pictures I’ve shared showing my rural roots.

I commended him on his ability to do that kind of research, but at the same time I told him that there was quite a bit of information available supporting my argument that could be found with a lot less effort than what he spent learning about me.

To which he just thought I was a “stupid trucker” and that I didn’t know much more than how to turn a steering wheel. But he did like my pictures.

I resisted for as long as I could and wrote off the discussion as a wasted effort.

But I had some trouble with being categorized as stupid and I did finally look at some of his social media information.

It was fairly unremarkable, he is an older fellow with some very right wing opinions. He dislikes most other races, thinks the medical community is capitalizing on treating cancer and not curing it, and is an opponent of vaccinations.

There was no real indication he had any exposure to life outside of the city where he lived.

His “stupid farmer” comment must have stemmed from his anti-biotech Monsanto-hating sources, things I’ve challenged on social media.

I tried to engage him in discussion again to discover why he thought farmers and truckers were stupid but he no longer wishes to converse with me.

I’m really trying to advocate for agriculture whenever I come across folks who spew out gross misinformation that suggests farmers are poisoning their land and subsequently the people who eat the food they grow.

Far from being stupid, farmers today have to be fairly sophisticated to succeed in today’s ag business.

The skill set and knowledge of a farmer spans many disciplines from mechanics to economics to engineering and bio-science.

Not to mention the physical demands of the job, working in all conditions and putting in long hours.

I don’t spend as much energy defending truckers — I’m not so sure I’m not just a little stupid wading into traffic or down some sketchy road with 40 tonnes of something dragging behind me.

That business also requires a unique skill set that takes some time to master.

Regardless, I couldn’t explain to the fellow that called me stupid that there were folks like me who thought city-slickers who sat at their computers and spread misinformation and hate about things they knew nothing about were also stupid.

He refused to engage in another debate. I wanted to discover what kinds of skills he possessed that would be a challenge to me.

I’m sure there was much in his life he took for granted that might be beyond my ability.